Adjustable garment



June 29, 1965 Ni A. MARINO 3,191,603

ADJUSTABLE GARMENT Fild p 3, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. FIG. 5Nicholas a. marina BY M @3247 @155 June 29, 1965 N. A. MARINO 3, 5

ADJUSTABLE GARMENT Filed Sept. 3, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGOY Q 45 FIG.6 I y I l INVENTOR.

*6 R Q 7lz'clzolas djfiaruza by w 50 BY United States Patent 3,191,603ADJUSTABLE GARMENT Nicholas A. Marino, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Sears,Roebuck and (30., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New York Filed Sept.3, 1963, Ser. No. 306,986 6 Claims. (Cl. 128-506) This application is acontinuation-in-part of my copending application, S.N. 237,559, filedNovember 14, 1962 and now abandoned.

My invention relates to adjustable garments, and is particularlyconcerned with, but not limited to, brassieres specially designed foradolescent girls as well as for pregnant women.

At certain stages, of adolescence, the proper fitting of brassieres onyoung girls becomes difficult because of the day-to-day development ofthe body. While attempts have been made to take care of this situation,as by providing a spaced series of hooks and eyes and the like, topermit a range of adjustments, none of these solutions is entirelysatisfactory, all of them involving a certain amount of inconvenience onthe part of the wearer. A plurality of spaced fasteners, such as hooksand eyes, permits only limited adjustment, resulting in improper fittingand discomfort.

A similar problem is encountered in pregnant women, whose mammary glandsbecome increasingly active in the latter stages of pregancy. Garmentsfor normal adults may also utilize my invention, especially for oddsizes.

My invention contemplates the utilization of a recently developedmaterial sold under the trademark Velcro, a fabric available in the formof a tape including a series of minute hooks extending normally from thebase of the tape, said hooks being formed of resilient filamentarymaterial, usually of a synthetic plastic, and engageable in a loopedfabric such as baize, felt or the like. Such a fastener provides aninfinite number of adjustments, permitting repeated repositioning toaccommodate steady and substantial growth in the body, as well as toadjust for shrinkage, etc., in the garment.

I am aware that the Velcro type of material has heretofore beensuggested as closure means for normally loose-fitting garments ofvarious kinds, such as coats. However, my first attempts to use suchmaterial in a brassiere were not satisfactory for withstanding thestresses required in such a garment. A brassiere, if it is properly toperform its function, must necessarily fit snugly on the body whilewithstanding constant strain from respiration. Hence, a positiveconnection is required for the ends of the brassiere, such as standardhooks and eyes, as well as a positive adjustment element permitting aninfinite number of adjustments to accommodate changes in body girth.

My invention contemplates an arrangement in a brassiere wherein one ofthe cooperating elements of a standard back closure, such as hooks andeyes, is attached to one of the elements of a Velcro unit.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the appendeddrawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating certainpreferred embodiments of my invention, wherein,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the rear of a typical brassiere towhich one form of my invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is an exploded fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale of theterminal portions of the strap members of the brassiere shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3a is a magnified sectional detail showing the 7 character of oneelement of my invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing the back and FIG. 8 is asectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line88 of FIG. 4.

Referring first to FIG. 1, I show here one form of brassiere 10 whichmay be considered more-or-less typical of the kind of garment to whichmy invention may advantageously be applied. The brassiere has a pair ofgenerally hemispherical cup members 12, 12 joined at the front of thebrassiere by means of a fabric web portion 15.

Also connected to the cup members 12, 12 adjacent the sides and back ofthe wearers body are strap members 18, 18. The free evtremities of thesestrap members have secured thereto a strap of elastic webbing 20, 20, ofthe type of elastic webbing commonly utilized in gar ters, etc.

Attached to end member 20, as by stitching 22, is a swatch of loopedfabric indicated by the numeral 25, seen in detail in FIG. 3a,preferably a looped tricot of nylon or other synthetic continuousfilament such as those known as Dacron or Antron. Such fabric 25preferably is characterized by a myriad of minute looped filamentsextending from and integral with a base sheet G, and is presentlymarketed as Velcro tricot pile by Velcro Corporation, New York, NY. Tothe back of fabric 25 has been laminated by any suitable means, as byheat, adhesive, etc., a relatively thin sheet of resilient syntheticresin foam 27, such as a polyester, so that the fabric 25 and the foambacking sheet 27 are, for all practical purposes, substantiallyintegral. The preferred foam is a polyurethane, although other suitableresins might be employed in lieu thereof.

Cooperating with the fabric 25 is a swatch 30 of Velcro fasteningmaterial, referred to above, comprising a plastic backing or sheet 31from which extend perpendicularly a myriad of minute filamentaryflexible hooklike elements 32, as seen greatly exaggerated in FIG. 3.Said hooks, like the backing sheet 31, are of synthetic resin, having ahigh degree of stiffness and resilience. Thus, when pushed into thefabric 25, as seen in FIG. 3, the individual hooks tenaciously engage inthe loops thereof,

forming a firm connection therewith; on grasping the edge of the backingsheet 31 and pulling away from the fabric 25, these hooks tend to flexand thus may be withdrawn from said material 25 without radicalalteration of the latter.

The Velcro material 30 is detachably secured by any suitable means, asby hooks and eyes 35, 37, to the terminal portion of strap 20'.

It will be noted that the Velcro tape 30 provides an infinite number ofadjustments, junction being effected by manual pressure. Hence, it willbe seen that for an adolescent girl whose bust dimensions may be rapidlychanging, it is a simple matter for her to place Velcro hook elements 30in proper longitudinal adjustment relative to fabric 25 to provide anoptimum fit from the standpoint of appearances and comfort. After saidelement has been properly positioned, the hook and eye members 35 and 37are engaged and the brassiere is then snugly positioned on the body, andmay be quickly and easily applied to and removed from the body in theusual way, using the standard fasteners 35, 37.

As the bust increases in girth, the Velcro strap 30 will be repositionedfrom time to time to accommodate such not ordinarily be a dailyrequirement.

Referring now to FIGS, 4-8, inclusive, in this embodiment the brassiere(only the terminal portions of which are shown) will include straps 18,18 similar to those of the previously described embodiment. To strap 18'is secured, as by stitching, a strip of elastic webbing 20' as in theprevious embodiment, while to strap 18 there is similarly secured alaminated or composite strip 40, as seen in detail in FIGS. 6-8,inclusive. Said composite stripcomprises a plurality of elements asdescribed herebel-ow, said elements being secured together, preferablyby stitching, along the marginal portions thereof, as indicated at 42,and quilting 43.

Composite strip 40 includes on its outside (away from the body) a loopedfabric 25 which, in general, may be substantially similar to the element25 of the previous embodiment, with a base or supporting fabric G. Onthe opposite side of strip 40 (next to the body) is a sheet 47 which maybe of any suitable textile material, preferably Woven, although it mightbe knitted, such as a tricot or the like, which for convenience I referto as'of a substantially continuous filament, and preferably of asynthetic filament such as those known to the trade under the trademarksof Nylon, Orlon, etc., although cotton might be employed. Sandwichedbetween elements 25 and 47 and quilted to sheet 47, as indicated at 43,is a relatively thin batt or pad 50 ofrandom filaments, such as spunsynthetic filaments of the character just described for sheet 47,overlaid by a gauze sheet G. It will be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7 that pad50 is substantially thicker than looped fabric 25, forming a cushiontherebehind.

As in the first embodiment, suitable closure elements of standard type,such as hooks or eyes 35, are carried by elastic strap 20' and cooperatewith mating elements 37 carried by a strip 30 of Velcro hooks 32, as inthe first embodiment.

It will be seen that in the embodiment just described the pad 50 servesas a cushioning element in a manner corresponding to foam 27 in thefirst embodiment. I have found that the batt is highly effective, andthis is especially true when the batt is formed of a synthetic filament,which filaments retain their spring or resilience in batt form over along period of time, even after frequent laundermg.

Various changes coming within the spirit of my invention may suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art; hence, I do not wish to belimited to the specific embodiment shown and described or usesmentioned, but intend the same to be merely exemplary, the scope of myinven tion being limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a garment adapted to encircle the body snugly,

(a) a pair of terminal members carried by said garment,

(b) the first of said members having a fixed-position fastenerpermanently secured thereto,

(0) the second of said terminal members having permanently securedthereto a strip of looped fibers,

(d) and a separable intermediate member having a fixed-position fastenerdetachably engageable with said first-mentioned fastener and having amultiplicity of resilient hook elements detachably engageable with saidlooped fibers by penetration thereof, to provide an infinite number ofadjustments to accommodate numerous variations in girth.

2. A combination as in claim 1, wherein the second terminal member is alaminated fabric comprising said strip on one side, a sheet on theopposite side formed of a continuous filament, and an intermediate padof resilient material.

3. A combination as in claim 2, wherein the pad is a resin foam.

4. A combination as in claim 2, wherein the pad is a resilient batt.

5. A combination as in claim 4, wherein the pad is substantially deeperthan said strip and is formed of spun synthetic fiber.

6. A combination as in claim 6, wherein said first termi nal member isformed of elastic fabric.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ADELE M. EAGER,Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,191,603 June 29, 1965 Nicholas A. Marine It is hereby certified thaterror appears in the above numbered patent reqiiring carrectio'n andthat the said Letters Patent should read as corrected,below.

Column 4, line 35, for the claim reference numeral "6" rea 1 Signed andsealed this 30th day of November 1965.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Aluasting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. IN A GARMENT ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE THE BODY SNUGLY, (A) A PAIR OFTERMINAL MEMBERS CARRIED BY SAID GARMENT, (B) THE FIRST OF SAID MEMBERSHAVING A FIXED-POSITION FASTENER PERMANENTLY SECURED THERETO, (C) THESECOND OF SAID THERMAL MEMBERS HAVING PERMANENTLY SECURED THERETO ASTRIP OF LOOPED FIBERS, (D) AND A SEPARABLE INTERMEDIATE MEMBER HAVING AFIXED-POSITION FASTENER DETACHABLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FIRST-MENTIONEDFASTENER AND HAVING A MULTIPLICITY OF RESILIENT HOOK ELEMENTS DETACHABLYENGAGEABLE WITH SAID LOOPED FIBERS BY PENETRATION THEREOF, TO PROVIDE ANINFINIATE NUMBER OF ADJUSTMENTS TO ACCOMMODATE NUMEROUS VARIATIONS INGIRTH.